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YCSD 2014-15 Calendar Adjustments

The York County School Division has made adjustments to the 2014-15 school calendar to address the number of school closures and delays caused by inclement weather and road conditions. The plan, based on instructional time lost as of March 3, was developed with the priorities of maximizing instructional time as well as protecting Spring Break and Memorial Day.

State law requires that the division calendar have a minimum of 180 school days or 990 instructional hours and further requires that individual courses meet time requirements at middle school and high school levels. Due to existing school schedules, the division calendar of 180 days does have some “banked time” above the 990 instructional hours requirement. Therefore, Dr. Shandor has approved a make-up plan that allows the division to recover lost instructional time, as needed, by instructional level.

2014-15 Calendar Adjustments

Beginning March 9, 20 minutes will be added to the end of the school day for all elementary and middle schools and York River Academy. The new school hours will be:

• 8:00 a.m. - 3:05 p.m. (QLMS, TMS)
• 8:05 a.m. - 3:10 p.m. (GMS, YMS)
• 8:25 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (YRA)
• 8:45 a.m. - 3:41 p.m. (BMES, MES, MVES, TES)
• 9:00 a.m. - 3:56 p.m. (CES, DES, GBES, SES, WMES, YES)

The following adjustments have also been made to previously scheduled early release days:

• Friday, April 3: Full student day for all schools
• Friday, May 8: Full student day for all schools
• Tuesday, June 9: Full student day for elementary and middle schools

In addition to the adjustments listed above, schools will modify daily schedules as needed to meet state course time requirements.

Preschool Adjustments

Beginning March 9, 10 minutes will be added to the school day for all preschool students. The new schedule will be as follows:

AM Preschool:
Students will start school at the regular time and end the day ten minutes later than their regular end time.

PM Preschool:
Students will start school ten minutes later than their regular start time and end the day twenty minutes later than their regular end time. The following adjustments have also been made to the previously scheduled early release day:

• Tuesday, June 9: AM and PM Preschool will be held.

The school division had seven unscheduled school closings and three delayed openings due to weather conditions to date. Recognizing that this is the second consecutive year that the YCSD calendar has been impacted by significant snow and ice conditions, we will review next year's calendar and school schedules to determine what adjustments can be made to bank additional instructional time.

Finally, should any more unscheduled delays or closings take place this school year, we will consider altering school dismissals on June 10 and 11 and may even need to consider holding school on Memorial Day.